This invention relates generally to sleds and more particularly to an improved sled that is highly maneuverable, works in a variety of snow conditions, and is easily repaired and maintained.
Recreational snow sleds are of basically two types. Toboggan sleds are used for deep fine snow, and runner sleds are used for hard packed snow. Toboggan sleds have a flat body which can plane onto and pack fine deep snow. Toboggans are steered by the riders simply leaning in the direction they wish to go in order to cause the sled to tip in that direction and thus plane the snow to create the lateral turning forces on the flat bottom comparable to that of an air foil. As a result, toboggan sleds lack precise steering control, and especially on hard packed snow steering control is almost nonexistent.
Runner sleds on the other hand, are steered by flexing or turning portions of the runners in the direction that the rider wishes to go. The runners, like a rudder on a boat cut into the snow and provide lateral forces which produce the desired turn. In deep fine snow the runners may simply cut through the snow and run aground. Even under ideal snow conditions, most runner sleds provide only limited maneuverability in that only a few inches of the runner near the front of the sled are actually flexed into an arc because the runners are rigidly attached to the sled body.
In addition to varying conditions of snow cover, there may be bare spots in a sled run where there is no snow cover at all. If a toboggan sled encounters such a bare spot, the wooden body of the sled is especially prone to damage from sliding on bare dirt, gravel, or rocks. While runner sleds are not particularly damaged by sliding on bare spots, the increased friction of the bare spots on the metal runners can result in sudden and dangerous stops.